(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat-sensitive recording material. More particularly, the present invention relates to a heat-recording material which is colored at a high density at a low temperature and in which deterioration of the colored zone by a plasticizer, oil, water, light or the like is prevented and the so-called storability is improved.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A heat-recording material comprising a heat-sensitive coloring layer capable of being colored by heating, which is formed on a support such as paper, artificial paper, plastic film or the like, is used for a thermal printer of a facsimile device, an electronic table computer or a microcomputer or a thermopen recorder of an electrocardiograph or an analysis device or for formation of a passenger ticket or a POS label at a super market.
This heat-sensitive recording material is ordinarily prepared by separately pulverizing a colorless or light-colored leuco dye of the lactone, lactam or spiropyran type as a color former and a color developer capable of reacting with the color former under heating to form a color, by using a ball mill or sand mill to form dispersions, adding a binder to the dispersions, mixing the dispersions, adding a wax, a surface active agent, a defoaming agnet, an inorganic pigment and the like to the mixture according to need, and coating and drying the composition on a support such as paper.
Various phenolic compounds have heretofore been used as the color developer, and bisphenol A (isoprpylidene diphenol) is especially frequently used. The melting point of this phenolic compound is 156.degree. to 158.degree. C. and the color-forming temperature can be reduced by a compound used in combination, but the color-forming temperature is still high and it is difficult to cope with a recent requirement for enhancement of the printing speed. Furthermore, in a heat-sensitive recording material comprising bisphenol A as a color developer, deterioration of the color-formed zone is caused by contact with a vinyl chloride sheet or by oil, water, light or the like, resulting in discoloration of the color-formed zone, or coloration is caused in the non-colored zone.
Recently, a color developer comprising benzyl p-hydroxybenzoate has been developed as a color developer suitable for high-speed printing and when this color developer is used, printing can be performed at a lower temperature. However, the above-mentioned deterioration becomes conspicuous in a heat-sensitive recording material comprising benzyl p-hydroxybenzoate as a color developer.
A heat-sensitive recording material comprising bisphenol S as the color developer is excellent in the storability characteristics of the colored zone, such as plasticizer resistance, oil resistance, water resistance and light resistance, and this heat-sensitive material is used in a special field where the heat-sensitive material is coated on a transparent vinyl chloride sheet or where the heat-sensitive material is used for the production of sheets which are readily contacted with hands, such as tickets and passes. However, bisphenol S is disadvantageous in that the color-forming temperature is high.
Under this background, development of a color developer having a good storability and a low color-forming temperature is eagerly desired.